Occupational safety and health
Managing significant safety and health risks effectively to ensure the protection of our people, operations, and communities is a key imperative and priority for the organization. Given the high-consequence disaster and fatality risks associated with our operating plants in particular, this is a material sustainability impact for Nippon Paint Group and a critical focus to ensure our maximization of shareholder value.
Our approach to achieving MSV
During 2025, each Partner Company Group (PCG) made strong progress on its improvement priorities for Safe People and Operations. This continued to be supported by the global environment & safety team, comprising senior environment & safety leaders from each PCG, with a primary focus on benchmarking, sharing best practices, and learning from events. During 2025, the process safety collaboration group focused on detailed sharing of current PCG practices and standards for management of process safety risks and formed a roadmap for alignment of common technical and operating processes. During 2026, the team will develop common guidelines for process safety standards and best practices for application of controls.
Group policy
There are significant safety and health risks in our business that could impact our people, supply chain, and communities. We will work to manage these risks effectively and prevent harm, with a priority focus on high-consequence risks.
Improvement & performance (2025)
In NIPSEA Group during 2025, there was one fatality in Alina (Kazakhstan), where a bulldozer overturned during site preparation works for drilling. The investigation was completed and preventive measures are in place.
Five Tier 1/Tier 2 process safety events were recorded. This is now the third year of reporting this new metric, which provides the opportunity for increased learning across the Group to implement effective controls for high-consequence events.
The recordable case rate for employees and contractors decreased 22.5% to 0.41 recordable injuries and illnesses per 200,000 hours worked, while the lost workday case rate for employees and contractors decreased 21.5% to 0.29 lost time injuries and illnesses per 200,000 hours worked. Safety performance improvement has been a key focus across all PCGs through various initiatives, including increased training, employee engagement, maturing safety management systems, investigation and learning from events, process safety programs, and improvement of engineering controls.
Performance by Partner Company Group (PCG) (2025)
| PCG | Process Safety Incidents (Tier 1 and 2) |
Fatalities | Recordable Case Rate (per 200,000 hours) |
Lost Workday Case Rate (per 200,000 hours) |
Improvement Priorities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIPSEA Group | 1 (-3) |
1 (+1) |
0.13 (-47.8%) |
0.11 (-32.2%) |
Circulated monthly safety dashboard since April, and included Supply and Apply subcontractor safety into the internal reporting for HSE events. As the India Group recorded higher incident cases for fire and work safety, targeted initiatives were implemented to reduce human error through strengthened safety behaviours, supervision, engineering controls, and proactive risk assessments. |
| DuluxGroup | 2 (+1) |
0 (0) |
1.6 (-10.6%) |
1.22 (+22.5%) |
Sustained focus on process safety maturity, including periodic hazard studies (PHS), hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies, and the establishment of the Process Safety Community of Practice in collaboration with sites in DGL (Europe) and DGL (Pacific). Deployment of Human & Organisational Performance (HOP) concepts to strengthen learning and preventative activities. |
| Japan Group | 1 (+1) |
0 (0) |
0.57 (-20.5%) |
0.06 (-11.8%) |
Development of safety-related training videos. New employee onboarding and follow-up education on safety. In-house delivery of mandatory training. |
| Dunn-Edwards | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1.38 (-73.3%) |
1.06 (-34.3%) |
Key emphasis on reducing vehicle accidents. This has been accomplished through communication, reinforcement, coaching and training. Reinforced forklift and pedestrian safety through recurring weekly stand-up meetings. Continued evaluation and improvement of washwater treatment processes, including review of treatment chemistry, instrumentation options, and operating practices to improve process stability and reduce operational and safety risks associated with treatment variability. |
| AOC | 1 (n/a) |
0 (n/a) |
0.39 (n/a) |
0.22 (n/a) |
Tier 1 and Tier 2 safety incidents decreased 28%. This was due to continued focus on sharing lessons learned and increasing awareness. Site leadership training was improved to support behaviour modification and clarify expectations. |
| Total | 5 (0) |
1 (+1) |
0.41 (-22.5%) |
0.29 (-21.5%) |
Overall improvements have been driven through the Environment and Safety working group, sharing best practices and learning from incidents. The Process Safety Collaboration Group was formed to define and align on Process Safety operating standards to form common guidance across the PCGs, and this work will continue into 2026. |
Management system
Our group identified Safe People and Operations as an issue of materiality while also implementing measures to prevent occupational accidents and to create safe working environments for employees.
In 2022, we adopted the Group-wide Global Code of Conduct, which included considering employee and stakeholder safety in our activities. Specifically, the Sustainability Team that works directly under the Directors, Representative Executive Officers & Co-Presidents discusses policies and initiative concerning occupational safety and health as one of our ESG issues and reports their outcomes to the Co-Presidents.
In Japan, members from all Group companies as well as on-site business contractors participate in the Responsible Care Committee and Group Safety and Environment Council, and Product Safety Council to find solutions to issues and improve the Group’s safety and health activities. These groups share information about injury accidents and major incidents that occurred at Group companies as well as accidents in other industries and the countermeasures are implemented throughout the Group to prevent recurrence.
All companies in all regions maintain RC and safety and health committees, which not only formulate measures for specific cases, but also address safety and environmental issues for all regions and engage all employees in finding solutions. Accident prevention efforts also include diligent risk assessments in all regions.
Nippon Paint Group Occupational Safety and Health Promotion Structure (based on the Group RC Promotion Structure)
See here for details on the occupational safety and health management system.
Risk assessment
All companies in all regions maintain RC and safety and health committees, which not only formulate measures for specific cases, but also address safety and environmental issues for all regions and engage all employees in finding solutions. Accident prevention efforts also include diligent risk assessments in all regions.
The Nippon Paint Group in Japan conducts safety and risk assessments and uses the results to plan and implement risk mitigation measures and to ensure strict compliance with risk acceptance mechanisms.
Assessments are conducted:
- When risk conditions change due to the introduction of or changes to equipment, materials, or operating methods
- At regular intervals based on the condition of machinery or equipment, such as for older equipment, or when the employees operating the equipment change
- At regularly scheduled times for existing equipment and work processes
In recent years, the risk assessments that are the core of our safety and health initiatives aimed at achieving zero serious accidents have focused primarily on addressing the increasing number of injury accidents that were occurring due to falls, reaction movements, and forced movements. We also responded to accidents that occurred within the Group in Japan by communicating information with all domestic Group companies, revising the onsite rules and safety measures, and strengthening management.
- Fire at the Central Distribution Center at NPI-AR in India (Nov. 2023)
- Installation of CCTV at all CDCs (Central Distribution Centers) and warehouses of Business Units at the site
- Inspections of external warehouses by all Business Units to confirm compliance with NIPSEA Group’s safety guidelines
- SAP reviews of high-risk stock in external warehouses conducted by Finance, and joint inspections of CDCs and warehouses by Supply Chain and Safety teams to assess on-site stock management
- Thorough due diligence conducted before renting external warehouses or facilities
- Quarterly reviews of external warehouse conditions through photos by Heads of Business Unit; strict storage management protocols for highly flammable materials enforced to minimize fire hazard risks
- Explosion at the Manufacturing Site at PT Nipsea in Indonesia (Dec. 2023)
- Appropriate installation of tanks and safety improvement measures to address the root cause of the incident
- Refresher training conducted for relevant personnel, and the schedule for periodic refreshment training was established across the manufacturing facility
In addition, we conduct risk assessments and due diligence for occupational safety and health along with a wide range of items at new business partners and companies that join the Group through acquisitions or mergers.
For information about our risk assessments for chemical substances, please see here.
Targets and performance
As part of our Responsible Care activities, the Group sets and actively seeks to achieve targets for occupational safety and health, security and accident prevention.
For targets and results, see the Environmental and safety management page.
Specific initiatives
Global safety and health activities: Contributing to safety controls at overseas Group companies
The Group actively supports safety and environmental activities at overseas Group companies. Through the global environment & safety team and process safety collaboration group, senior environment & safety leaders from each PCG benchmark performance, share best practices, learn from events, and collaborate on process safety risk management. In 2026, the team will continue to develop common process safety standards and best practices for application of controls.
Safety and health education
The Group seeks to prevent occupational accidents and raise risk awareness by providing regular occupational safety and health education programs at all companies and worksites.
Japan Group: Number of people participating in safety and health education: 160